Royal Inbreeding Continues: Prince Harry marries cousin in church where her descendent is buried

In keeping with the “royal” tradition of inbreeding, Prince Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth, married his cousin 17 times removed. Meghan Markle is a descendant of King Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour, who was a second cousin to Isabel Hildyard, Meghan’s 12th great-grandmother, The Daily Mail reports.

Jane Seymour is buried in the very place where Harry married Meghan in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Jane was reportedly King Henry’s favorite wife (of six); they are buried together in the Quire of the royal wedding venue.

The Mail reported the lineage uncovered by Ancestry.com, which tracked Markle’s father’s mother’s lineage several hundred years. A researcher at the Boston-based New England Historic Genealogical Society also stated that Markle is a direct descendant of King Edward III, who ruled from 1327 until 1377.

Genealogists at Ancestry.co.uk unearthed a calligraphic chart, which they argue proves that Meghan is distantly descended from Lionel of Clarence, who was the third son of the medieval King Edward III, who ruled England and was Lord of Ireland from 1327 to 1377.

Through Megan’s father, Thomas Markle, who is of Dutch and Irish descent, she is also related to members of King Henry IV and Charles I families.